Who among them would have ever imagined a Congress prime minister not belonging to the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty when the family is still active in politics? Wasn't that why the likes of Sharad Pawar and P A Sangma had left the party in the first place?

But what is politics without surprises? So it has come to pass that Manmohan Singh, a man more at ease with economics than politics, will become India's new prime minister.

President A P J Abdul Kalam invites Congress leader Manmohan Singh to form the next government. Congress President Sonia Gandhi accompanied Dr Singh to Rashtrapati Bhavan.